Broken Frontier

The Baroness is free, cutting a swath of carnage through anyone that stands between her and Cobra Commander – the man responsible for the disappearance of her child.

As one of the longest running subplots of the America’s Elite series moves to the forefront, the Baroness has escaped from G.I. Joe custody and is on the hunt for Cobra Commander – the only man that knows what happened to the baby she has never met. Recruiting her former lover and ally, Major Bludd, to help, the Baroness has already killed the mercenary Wraith, maimed the Cobra surgeon Scalpel and now has her deadly sights set on the head snake himself. Meanwhile, Destro and Flint are both swept into the chaos, moving towards a deadly, multi-part confrontation…

The G.I. Joe franchise has been through some interesting and turbulent times lately, but just may be on the edge of a renaissance. Following an unfortunately predictable arc revealing General Rey’s backstory, Powers has picked up another dangling thread – one that can be traced back to the conclusion of Brandon Jerwa’s run several years ago. Drawing together elements of that arc, as well as Joe Casey’s launch of America’s Elite, the first three chapters of Sins of the Mother has brought a cohesiveness to the G.I. Joe universe that has been lacking. For the first time in several years, this feels like this is G.I. Joe, and not just one person’s interpretation of G.I. Joe. With a core group functioning as a unit, while drawing on reserve members, this roster feels less like a superhero team and more like the elite military squad they were intended to be. If there’s a downside to this issue, it’s that it is part 3 of 4 – so it isn’t really the place to jump in if you haven’t read G.I. Joe before. For the hardcore Joe fan (or even lapsed reader) there is a good cliffhanger that promises some interesting situations in June.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to my G.I. Joe comics, so Mike Bear comes as a good fit. Working with colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Bear brings a modern sensibility to the book. Toning down many of the costumes, the cast and characters look a little more plausible but still retain the core of their iconic look. His expressive figures tell a complete story, bringing out Bludd’s arrogance, Baroness’ aristocratic leanings and, of course, the cold calculating nature of Cobra Commander. I hope that these two will stick around for the foreseeable future.

A solid outing, America’s Elite #23 should excite readers as Devil’s Due Publishing brings the G.I. Joe team back to their iconic roots.